Absolute Value
by Lain Stardust
Summary: After the events of Heartless (6x07), the Evil Queen pays a visit to Regina to gloat. Instead, she discovers the value of self-love.


Regina sighed heavily as she stared into the dark fireplace, absently running her index finger along the rim of the empty tumbler in her left hand. It seemed no matter what she did, the Evil Queen remained one step ahead of them. Even her gamble to use Zelena's jealousy to distract her darker half had failed, and they'd lost the sapling, resulting in Snow and David being cursed. Anger at her inability to get the upper hand caused her to hurl the crystal at the hearth, the glass shattering upon impact as a yell of frustration escaped her.

"Tsk, tsk, Regina. Throwing a temper tantrum isn't going to get you anywhere," a silky voice chastised from behind the sofa. The Evil Queen sashayed to the sidebar, an amused smirk curling up the corners of her mouth as her left hand hovered over the small selection of alcohol. With an elegant roll of her right wrist, she reassembled the broken tumbler and summoned it to her. Lifting the bottle of apple cider, she poured two generous servings and placed the stopper back in the crystal decanter as she briefly eyed her better half over her right shoulder. "You really should learn to accept defeat more gracefully," she observed as she took a glass in each hand and made her way toward the sofa.

Muscles tensing, the mayor narrowed her eyes as her counterpart settled primly on the other end of the couch and extended a tumbler to her. "Did you come here to gloat?" she asked shortly, ignoring the proffered alcohol.

Rolling her eyes, the queen shrugged daintily and placed the refused offering on the coffee table before settling back against the cushions. "Maybe just a little," came the off-handed admission. She took a slow sip of the cider, enjoying the faint burn in her throat as she eyed the woman beside her. Tone serious, she inquired, "I'm honestly curious. What do you hope to gain from siding with the merry band of idiots?"

Regina shook her head in exasperation and retorted, "Something you could never hope to understand—the satisfaction of doing the right thing. What do you get out of joining Gold, besides the obvious?" she sneered disdainfully.

Pursing her lips, the queen tried to tamp down on her mirth, knowing the reveal would be so much more enjoyable if Regina didn't see it coming. "Why, a handy sleeping curse with a particularly nasty twist. Snow and her shepherd are at last separated, and it's all thanks to us." Off the mayor's startled look, she explained, "None of this would have been possible if you hadn't split Snow's heart when she cast the Dark Curse. I simply came to thank you for your assistance. We really do make an excellent team," the queen said with a wicked grin, toasting her counterpart with her glass.

A dark scowl marred the mayor's face as the queen's words sunk in, her eyes slowly widening in dismay. "I did that to save them both," she protested. "It wasn't part of some elaborate plan to . . . to—."

"To finally get our revenge?" the Evil Queen interjected at her loss for words. "Perhaps not, but I must say, it did work out spectacularly well and in _my_ favor." Taking another sip of her drink, she leaned back and purred, "Victory never tasted so sweet." She watched as her doppelganger seethed, fists clenching in her lap as her fury built at being played. It was almost too easy to get the woman riled up and on edge.

It took every ounce of self-control Regina had to keep from reaching across the cushions and strangling the contemptuous woman. Visage contorted into a snarl of anger, she warned lowly, "Get out before I do something I'll regret."

The Evil Queen laughed brightly, countering, "You can't hurt me without hurting yourself. Have you truly sunk so low, Regina, as to contemplate suicide?" A flicker of uncertainty reflected back at her from dark eyes, and she knew her barb had caught on some bit of buried pain. "Did you _really_ think I wouldn't eavesdrop on your little conversation with the _savior_?" she asked, lips twisting as if the title left a bad taste in her mouth.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the mayor denied, expression cool and disaffected. Even so, she stood, turning her back and wrapping her arms about her middle, as if trying to protect herself from an uncomfortable truth.

Rising, the queen slunk toward her double, hovering just behind her as she said, "I heard you ask her to kill you if things got out of hand, and I couldn't believe that you'd be so _weak_ to be unable to do the deed yourself." Seeing the line of Regina's spine stiffen, she carried on contemplatively, "Then, I wondered if splitting yourself from me had truly made you so pathetic or if there was something else behind the request." Edging closer, the Evil Queen leaned in until her breath was stirring short strands of hair. Voice a sultry burr, she murmured, "I think you're worried you'll give in to the darkness, again, give in to me. Just imagine the things we could do together," she insinuated, lips brushing the shell of the other woman's ear.

Regina whirled around, finding herself nose-to-nose with the queen, and growled, "Stop it. I refuse to get pulled in by one of your mind fucks." Her eyes flashed with anger even as she thrived on the challenge of dealing with this manipulative version of herself.

The Evil Queen's face split with a shark-like grin. She raised her right hand to trace up Regina's left arm and across her shoulder, fingertips coming to rest lightly on the side of her neck as she propositioned throatily, "Mm, how about a nice, hard, finger fucking, instead."

The mayor reeled slightly at the suggestion, not having expected the other woman to go that far. She had to work harder than she would have cared to admit to draw up enough righteous indignation to spit back, "Get out of my house! Just because I can't kill you, it doesn't mean I can't cause you pain."

Sweet adrenaline scoured through the queen at the threat, and she cooed happily, " _There's_ that glorious rage I've been missing. It does look terribly good on us," she murmured, grazing her fingers along her counterpart's jawline. The fact that the mayor hadn't moved away from her touch spoke volumes, and she wanted nothing more than to watch her better half give in to temptation.

The muscles in her jaw flexed as Regina clenched her teeth and glared at the Evil Queen. Drawing in a deep breath through her nose, she tilted her chin up a fraction and declared, "I won't play your sick games, Queenie. I worked too hard to rid myself of your influence to allow you to drag me down into the mire." Even as she said the words, she could feel her resolve weakening. Being so close to her other half made her heart physically ache, and there seemed to be an almost magnetic pull urging her to close what little distance remained between them.

"Admit it, Regina, you miss being bad," the queen goaded as she inched further into her space. Parting her lips, she slowly curled her tongue over her upper teeth before purring, "Perhaps you'd rather I fucked that delectable mouth of yours, so you can remember how scrumptious evil tastes."

Unbidden, a gasp of longing left Regina at the images that sprang to her mind, and she closed her eyes briefly in an attempt to get control of her suddenly raging libido. She had forgotten this, the raw sensuality that she had oozed at the height of her reign, had never been on the receiving end of it before. It was intoxicating, the way each breath she took pressed her chest into her counterpart's, the queen's subtle perfume infiltrating her senses with its spicy odor. Opening her eyes, she gazed into near-black irises that spoke of unfathomable desire. "I don't want to lose myself to the darkness," she confessed in a whisper that cracked at the edges.

Shifting her hips forward the tiniest bit, the queen brought her hand to rest lightly at the hollow of Regina's throat. "Your heart gives you away," she sighed throatily, tapping her index finger on the rapid pulse beneath it. Eyebrows arching faintly in understanding, she observed, "It's not losing if you're ultimately finding yourself."

The mayor swallowed hard as her counterpart's words made a frightening type of sense. She wasn't supposed to miss the parts of herself she had thought she had excised from her life. Confusion and shame mixed with longing, and Regina found she couldn't keep fighting the inexorable demand that her soul was making of her. She needed more, wanted the woman who was waiting so seductively before her, patient and alluring. It was too much for her to resist and had a raspy, "Please," falling from her without conscious thought.

"Please what?" the Evil Queen asked quietly, not wanting to break the fragile moment. "Please don't?" she inquired, palms trailing down the sleeves of her doppelganger's blazer, cupping elbows and drawing her infinitesimally closer. "Please do?" she breathed softly.

With a desperate whimper, the mayor surged forward, closing the miniscule gap between them and pressing her mouth to the one tempting her so effortlessly. Her hands came up and locked around the queen's upper arms, grip tightening to bruising strength. A shudder rippled through her frame, brought her torso flush against her darker half until she could feel the stays of the Evil Queen's corset digging into her own ribcage. It should have felt horribly wrong, but instead, it was oh, so right, her lips slotting with full, crimson ones perfectly.

Slipping her arms around Regina's trim waist, the queen let her hands move under the black blazer and press soft, red silk to the skin she was eager to touch. A happy sigh left her when the mayor's teeth closed on her bottom lip and tugged as she pulled back from the kiss. "Hmm, so enthusiastic," she hummed as a hot mouth latched onto the side of her neck and sucked hard. Pulse throbbing between her thighs at each pull against the delicate skin, the queen was so thoroughly distracted that it took her a moment to register cool air on her body. A glance down confirmed she had been stripped bare by magic, a lascivious smile quickly forming on her lips. "And so very impatient," she finished, playfully air-snapping at her counterpart's chin.

Maneuvering her darker half against the wall, surprised at the lack of resistance to the manhandling and pleased with the faint intake of breath as cool wallpaper contacted heated flesh, Regina kissed the spot just beneath the Evil Queen's left ear. "You wanted this. Don't start complaining, now," she chastised as her hands held shapely hips to the wainscoting.

"No complaints, Dear," came the rumbling response. The queen tilted her head to the side to provide better access for the hungry mouth ravishing her throat. Untucking the back of the mayor's shirt, she lightly drug her fingertips up the other woman's spine, deftly unhooking her bra as she went. " _Fuck!_ " The sharp cry left her as teeth sunk into the join of her shoulder and neck, her nails reflexively digging into shoulder blades. Breath coming faster, she demanded, "Do it again."

A low chuckle escaped Regina, and she licked over the obvious bite mark before moving to the other shoulder and clamping down on muscle and tendon. The body under her palms stiffened then went lax each time she closed her teeth on tender flesh, reminding her of waves on the sand. "You're so damned responsive," she wondered quietly as she switched to small, open-mouthed kisses to soothe the bruises already beginning to form on the pale canvas beneath her lips.

The Evil Queen rolled her hips into her other half and looked up at her with eyes heavy lidded with want. "It's been far too long since you indulged if you don't remember how glorious this feels," she husked. Bringing her hands around smooth sides, she edged her fingers under the mayor's bra cups, palming the ample breasts. Her thumbs and index fingers rolled hard nipples until the areolas were painfully tight. Palming the soft mounds, she squeezed and kneaded as she commented, "Honestly, Robin was too vanilla for us."

Regina wrapped her hand around the queen's throat and slammed her backwards, pressing her into the wall with excessive force. Eyes alight with fury, she growled, "Don't you _dare_ talk about him! You have no right!" Her chest heaved with indignation, and she felt a wildness flowing through her veins at the sight of her counterpart's face reddening from lack of oxygen.

Overcoming her instinct to fight, the Evil Queen released a strangled laugh and choked out, " _This_ is why I dare. He never would have accepted this side of us," she gasped, bringing her right hand up to cup the back of the mayor's neck, left circling her back. "But I want _all_ of you." And she tangled her fingers in short hair, dragging the snarling mouth to her own. She knew from Hyde's experiences she wouldn't pass out from oxygen deprivation, so she dove into the kiss, using all of her not inconsiderable strength to keep Regina flush against her.

Startled by the sentiment behind the unexpected confession, the mayor fell into the kiss without resistance. A tiny noise of want left her as a skillful tongue slid into her mouth and stroked along her own. Gradually, she relaxed the pressure of her hand until it was only resting on the pale column of the queen's throat. The hand in her hair tightened, directing her head back, and she capitulated willingly, gratified when teeth nipped over her windpipe. "Gods, yes," she groaned, left hand wrapped over the top of her darker half's right shoulder from behind.

"That's it," the queen encouraged softly, licking a line up her double's neck. The Evil Queen made a point to leave as many marks on Regina's skin as possible, the need to claim her overwhelming. Pushing the blazer from the mayor's shoulders, she murmured, "Give me everything." She grasped the hem of her shirt and yanked it off over the other woman's head, discarding her bra in the process.

Regina gasped when talented lips dropped to her collarbone, the hard teeth that nibbled at her making her breath hitch. Her earlier anger was completely forgotten in the feel of a hot mouth wrapping around a nipple and pulling at her, sending pleasure shooting straight to her center. Nimble fingers unfastened her slacks, and the mayor was caught off guard when the queen slowly sank into a squat, dragging Regina's pants and underwear down with her. She easily complied when soft hands lifted first one foot, then the other, to remove her shoes and the last of her clothing. Shock flitted across her features when the Evil Queen shifted onto her knees before her.

For her part, the Evil Queen knew her actions were throwing her better half off guard, and she reveled in the amount of power that gave her. It didn't matter that she was kneeling before her counterpart like a supplicant. She was the one in control. Gliding her hands up smooth legs, she nudged golden thighs apart with only the slightest pressure. She placed a light kiss to the top of Regina's pubic mound, nuzzling the neatly trimmed curls and inhaling the musky scent of her arousal while her palms caressed over round hips and buttocks. "All mine," the queen growled just before canting her head and running her tongue through slick folds.

Releasing a heavy puff of air at the initial contact, the mayor groaned when warm, dexterous muscle circled briefly over her clit. Her head dropped forward as her hands delved into dark hair. With just a hint of magic, the long locks fell from the elaborate up-do and cascaded down the queen's back. Regina immediately took advantage of the freedom to grab fistfuls of the silky tresses and pull her darker half closer to her sex, for once unashamed of her needs.

Humming with delight at the slightly rough direction, the queen decided to comply with the silent request and sucked Regina's clit into her mouth. She rubbed lightly over the little bundle of nerves with the flat of her tongue while her right hand came up to press two fingers slowly inside her lover. Eyes flicking up, she smirked into her task as the mayor's left hand shot out to press to the wall in an effort to stay upright. Her own left hand massaged her counterpart's right buttock while she set up a steady rhythm between her mouth and the fingers pumping into Regina's cunt.

"Shit," Regina hissed as the pleasure started to coil low in her belly. Rocking her hips in time with the Evil Queen's ministrations, she looked down, staggered to find her own dark eyes staring up at her. When a third digit joined the first two, she fought the need to close her eyes, not wanting to break the intense gaze, entranced by the myriad of emotions she saw there. Then, sure fingers curled and pushed into her G-spot with increasing fervor, and the mayor's mouth fell open with a groan. "Yes. _Right there_."

The Evil Queen glided the fingertips of her left hand between firm cheeks, brushing against her right hand as she gathered some of the copious moisture there. Trailing back, again, she ghosted the pads of her fingers over Regina's tight ring of muscle. Her doppelganger jerked and moaned as she circled over the sensitive area, never delving inside, but teasing the possibility. She felt the mayor's thighs begin to tremble and redoubled her efforts, wanting to watch her fall apart at her touch.

It was overwhelming, seeing a version of herself between her legs, coaxing such incredible sensations from her. Regina let go of the queen's hair and braced her right hand alongside her left. The muscles in her legs and lower back quivered as her climax wound tighter and tighter at the Evil Queen's behest. "Fuck, Queenie, _please_. Just a little more," she begged, voice almost a whine.

And for once, the Evil Queen had mercy. Growling into her lover's folds, she hooked her fingers just right and tugged forward with sharp jerks that literally brought the mayor to her knees as she came. Through it all, the queen valiantly maintained contact, pushing her better half backward over her calves as she continued to suck and stroke her through her orgasm. She refused to let up, even as her counterpart pushed at her head, whimpering and writhing beneath her, until Regina's back arched off the floor in a taut bow as her second climax juddered through her.

"Oh, Gods. That was…," Regina panted harshly, throwing her left forearm over her eyes as she struggled to regain her breath. Eventually, she shifted her legs from under herself, extending them slowly. Cool wetness being smeared along her inner thighs had her moving her arm and gazing down her body. Chuckling breathily, she watched the queen wipe her chin on her, and the mayor carded her fingers gently through long tresses, saying, "That was spectacular."

Grinning mischievously, the Evil Queen crawled up her counterpart's torso like a predator, hovering above her on hands and knees. "You are absolutely _delicious_ ," she crooned, licking her lips meaningfully. Lowering her face to Regina's, she murmured into her mouth, "I could eat your cunt for hours." Then, she kissed her, fierce and deep, teeth nipping at lips, tongue following behind to soothe, drawing a groan from the woman beneath her.

The mayor breathed through her nose, unwilling to break the kiss that was making her head spin. Her hands came up between them to cup full breasts, enjoying the queen's guttural moan vibrating on her tongue. She plucked and pulled at dusky nipples, feeling them tighten with arousal and wanting them in her mouth. A particularly hard pinch to the turgid peaks had her double dropping her pelvis to grind against her abdomen, seeking friction.

"Don't tease me," the queen ordered plaintively when Regina gave her nipples a slight twist. The warm palms left her breasts, and she pouted in frustration, "Well, don't stop, either." There was no opportunity to protest further, though, when hands gripped her hips and urged her forward, up the mayor's body. Quickly catching on to where this was headed, the Evil Queen flashed a lecherous smirk and ceded, "However, in this case, I think I'll forgive you." She gleefully settled her cunt over her better half's mouth, lowering herself onto waiting lips and pressing her palms to the floor just above her lover's head.

As she licked the length of the queen's slit, Regina felt a desperate craving for more spread through her. She savored the sharp tang of the slick heat that was gliding over her tongue, any lingering doubts about whether this was a good idea disappearing as the taste flooded her senses. Wanting more of the thick flavor, the mayor pushed her tongue as far inside the Evil Queen as possible, thrusting several times before teasing around her entrance. Suddenly, she understood the desire to do this as long as possible.

Moaning loudly, the Evil Queen's head fell back when her counterpart's tongue circled her clit and probed underneath her hood with short, precise strokes. When Regina flattened her tongue against her, she took the opportunity to grind down, riding her mouth with quick, shallow thrusts. "Fucking hell, Regina," she husked, when arms draped over her thighs, short nails digging into her ass and urging her to let more of her weight rest on her double. "Fuck me. _Fuck_ , I love your mouth," she babbled as she neared orgasm. Perhaps the best part of taking her doppelganger as a lover meant knowing each other's bodies perfectly.

Regina was sure her jaw would be aching when this was over, but the sight and sound and taste and smell of the queen was worth a little minor discomfort. Besides, her darker half's movements had grown slower and rougher, and she knew her lover was about to come. Deciding to give her counterpart a little push, she lightly bit down on her swollen clit, grazing her teeth over the little bud and was rewarded by a long, high-pitched cry as the Evil Queen climaxed and collapsed forward onto her elbows.

The queen's chest heaved while she pressed her forehead to the floor. "Oh!" she exclaimed when fingertips eased between her folds, teasing over her clit, down to her entrance, and back up, again. She jerked a bit at the sensitivity but rocked back against the questing digits, always seeking more. Shifting her forearms into a vee, she rested her forehead on the backs of her hands and was immediately rewarded with three long fingers sinking deep inside her. "So good," the Evil Queen mumbled into the rug below her.

The mayor grinned wolfishly and added a fourth finger, moving forcefully and admiring the way the queen's breasts swayed with each thrust. "Gods, you're beautiful like this," Regina complimented her, turning her head to kiss the inside of a thigh. Reaching up with her right hand, she wrapped her thumb and first two fingers around the Evil Queen's erect clit, catching her as far down the little shaft as possible. With expert finesse, she began pumping the tiny organ, feeling it swell and harden under the attention.

"Ah! No one else . . . _hnng_ . . . has ever done that right," the Evil Queen told her better half, pelvis rolling into the touches. It took every bit of control she possessed to not move too much and dislodge the hands doing such amazing things to her. Another kiss was placed on her thigh, and the queen hummed in pleasure, only for it to turn into a yelp as it was immediately followed by a sharp bite. " _Shit!_ " the queen cursed, muscles tensing. A beat later, she drawled lowly, "More."

Kissing the spot she'd bitten, Regina queried sweetly, "More what, Your Majesty?" She wriggled the fingers buried inside her counterpart, asking, "More fingers?" The mayor licked a line as far up a firm thigh as possible, finally sinking white teeth in until she knew a bruise would form. Letting go, she teased, "More teeth?" It was a delightful way to echo the taunt the queen had used on her earlier, and she smirked when her darker half cursed heartily at her in return.

Voice half-snarl and half-whine, the Evil Queen muttered, "You cock sucking cunt of a bitch." Then, the fingers on her clit stopped, and she frantically protested, "No! Don't fucking stop!" The digits within her began to withdraw, flexing slightly in the process. That broke the queen's resolve, had her begging, words thick in her throat, "Please. Both. More of everything." She remained absolutely still, holding her breath in anticipation, hoping her better half was just that and wouldn't withhold further attention.

Having pity on the woman above her, the mayor picked up where she left off, stroking the queen's needy clit a few times, first, to build up her arousal to previous levels. Without warning, she flattened her left hand and drove all four fingers into her cunt, up to the knuckle. The pleased grunt she received in response made her smile, and Regina licked and sucked and bit along both creamy thighs until they were covered in vivid splotches.

"Yes, like that," the Evil Queen moaned, spine curving toward the floor. She was desperate to move but didn't want to disrupt the sweet torture. Under her breath, she chanted, "More, more, more," as her arms started to ache from holding herself up so long.

Regina did as she was bid, tucking her left thumb against her other fingers and gradually twisting her hand deeper into the queen. Little whimpers of distress filtered back to her, and she clamped down hard with her teeth on her counterpart's soft skin, successfully distracting her as the mayor's hand slid the rest of the way inside the Evil Queen.

A keening wail broke free from the queen as her nails scraped along the floor, trying to ground herself against the conflicting sensations of stretch and burn and bliss. " _Regina_ ," came the pitiful mewl when the Evil Queen pressed backwards, forcing her counterpart's hand a little further into her cunt. Tipping her head forward just enough, she stared between them where Regina's hands were bringing her to what she was sure was going to be a phenomenal climax. " _Ungh_. Fuck me harder. . . Yeah, like . . . _Shiiii_ …," she trailed off, choking on the words when her counterpart formed a fist inside her and rotated her knuckles against her G-spot.

Proud of herself for rendering the Evil Queen speechless, the mayor smiled evilly and pumped her fist with an almost cruel disregard, but she knew the queen wanted that faint edge of pain, needed it. She had thought she wouldn't want this kind of dominance anymore, but hearing the broken, stifled sounds coming from her doppelganger, Regina understood that some of the things she'd attempted to rid herself of with the spit still remained within her. The thought urged her to increase her speed, hoping to punish the woman above her for reminding her of these desires.

The Evil Queen's abdomen heaved with the force of her breaths, her entire body shaking with tension. Regina was purposely hurting her, she knew, but oh, how she craved it. At last, she gave in to the mounting ecstasy and came, howling and sobbing like some kind of demon was dragging her away. The force of it caused her magic to lash out, glass and porcelain shattering throughout the room. Gracelessly, the queen flopped onto her left side, her right leg draped across Regina's chest as she lay in a sweaty, panting heap. She eventually came back to herself, conscious of the gentle fingers tracing up and down her right calf. "Why the hell haven't we been doing this all along?" she finally asked, reaching down to play with her better half's short hair.

"We've been too busy fighting each other to do anything else," the mayor snarked. She kept waiting for the usual self-loathing to kick in. In the past, whenever she had done something truly awful under the guise of the Evil Queen, there had always been a moment of clarity, of remorse, for her actions, however brief. Oddly, she was feeling none of that, at the moment, and it made her exceedingly uneasy.

Snorting indelicately, the Evil Queen replied, "Well, I say we skip fighting from now on and go straight to fucking." Her eyes unfocused briefly in a pleasurable haze before she continued, "I've never come so hard in my life. And considering some of the lovers we've had, that's saying something, my dear." Her impish smile faded when she saw her counterpart's brows furrowed. Feeling the stirrings of rejection in that look, she snapped, "What is it?"

There was a long pause before Regina replied, "I shouldn't be okay with this, with us. I should be disgusted with myself," she intoned lowly, hand tightening unconsciously on the ankle she had been caressing. It was obscene, wanting the Evil Queen, fucking her, _needing_ her like this. But no matter how much she had denied this desire, Regina knew now that it had been inevitable, perhaps as soon as she had split them in two. Half of her soul was housed within the queen, and the gravitational pull toward each other was perfectly understandable. At least, that's what the mayor was telling herself because the hollow ache she had felt in her chest since New York was gone, at long last.

The queen's first instinct was to pull away, to go on the defensive and lash out in return. Then, there was the soft press of lips to her right knee, and it made her freeze, confusion washing over her. What did her counterpart want from her? Did Regina think she could hurl such hateful sentiments her way then be absolved? The Evil Queen was heartsick from being repeatedly cast aside so casually. As she started to move, her better half's left hand clamped down on her hip, holding her in place.

"Don't go," the mayor commanded, craning her head back to look at her doppelganger. "I'm tired of fighting you—myself. Snow and Charming would tell me I'm fooling myself, but I'm not." Her eyelashes fluttered briefly as she revealed a hard truth. "The split was messy and ugly. It left too much of you inside me and me within you, and this is the first time I've felt complete since that rooftop."

The Evil Queen felt as if she had been drowning and had only just realized it now that she was suddenly drawing air. The confession making her world tilt on its axis, she found herself reaching out to cup her counterpart's chin with her right hand. Desperate eyes searched for any subterfuge in her better half's visage. After an extended, heavy silence, the queen tenderly stroked the mayor's jawline and vowed with deadly seriousness, "I won't be pushed aside, again, Regina. Don't make me regret this." She refused to put a name to what, exactly, this was, but she recognized that her meaning was clear when her double smiled at her beatifically.

Regina kissed the pulse point on the wrist beside her mouth. "No regrets for either of us," she promised, nipping the thin skin lightly. Expression turning wry, a faint blush crept up her cheeks as she murmured, "I've never wanted someone as much as I want you. If that isn't the height of narcissism, I don't know what is."

Laughing with carefree delight, the queen untangled herself from the knot they had made and rose to her feet. She extended her hand to Regina and prompted, "Come along. I'm taking you to bed. We should continue this somewhere more comfortable and, perhaps," she added carefully, "more meaningful." As she led the way upstairs, she added breezily, "Plus, I can suspend a mirror over the bed so we can see just how glorious we look making love."

The turn of phrase didn't go unnoticed by Regina, but instead of commenting, she simply chuckled and muttered fondly, "Shameless heathen," as she followed the Evil Queen to her bedroom. Their peace was tenuous, at best, and they had much to work through, still. There had been no discussion of breaking the sleeping curse or whether the queen would behave, at all, really. But the mayor was starting to see that neither of them were as light or dark as others would believe. She did know that they needed one another if they were ever going to find balance within themselves and that, just maybe, they could both find happiness along the way—together.


End file.
